The New Angry Men

THE NEW ANGRY MEN

"A debate with Dr. Ruckman?" No, the Scripture says, 'Make no friendship with an angry man' (Prov. 22:24). His language, his spirit, are not the kind with which good Christians ought to fellowship, in my judgment, and the very fact that you read his abusive words and are not offended is very sad. And I have far more important and better things to do than to enter into such a debate." -- (Dr. John R. Rice, letter to Herb Evans, 2/15/73) In the early days, of the Bible issue, you would often hear criticism directed, not toward the arguments of KJB defenders but rather toward their faults, failures, and their John the Baptist, camel hair language. Then, Bible defenders were trying to sound the alarm to get the attention of a "sound to sleep" fundamentalism, regarding what was happening to our Bible. We must admit that at times, we winced at some of it. Still, when many of us took issue with men like Dr. John R. Rice, we tried to entreat him, as a father and as a good man, who simply made a mistake in his twilight years. Nevertheless, he, angered by the issue, did not reciprocate that grace and instead called us “NUTS.” As someone has so ably said, what would the squirrels do without us “nuts?” In retrospect, looking back at all this, we were awed at the change, which has transpired in the Bible Corrector camp in those, who oppose the KJB. We never found in those early KJB defenders’ writings the venom, viciousness, and malice contained in the writings of the new angry men. The early writings of KJB Bible defenders were about five percent locusts and ninety five percent honey; the machinations of the new angry men are about ninety five percent malice and five percent spite and vengeance. After initial awe, we noticed a deep silence, emanating from the circles that used to pretend to shrink in horror from Pensacola’s tough love methodology. Neither the "Sword of the Lord" (at the time) nor the "Biblical Evangelist" (still) nor the colleges, who harbored more than their share of Bible Correctors seemed to be distressed at the abusive antics of the new angry men, i.e., Gary Hudson, Bob Ross, Bob Hymers, and so on. We are simply not hearing any complaints or expressions of shocked sensibilities from these fundamental bastions of orthodoxy. Some of them have even run advertisements fro such as these. Only the "Bible For Today" has repented for sponsoring such discourteous, non gentle, venomous, angry men and has dissociated themselves from them. Imagine our surprise, when the angry newcomers began to attack, provoke, misrepresent, and lie on King James Bible defenders with sarcastic zeal (calling it satire), unmatched by that of a scorned woman. Calm, cool, biblical logic, arguments, and answers, from Bible believing circles have enraged and aggravated the new angry men, whose own publications are receiving nothing but yawns. Desperate and frantic, they are trying to provoke King James defenders out of what they call their "safe havens" into public debates, even offering large sums of money to those, who can provide names, dates, places, page, chapter, and verse, to their challenges (welshing, of course, once the evidence was provided). Debate is one thing but for Bible Correctors to demand that their opponents provide the resources to sponsor Bible Corrector publicity and exposure beats everything. In the early days of the Bible issue, King James Bible defenders could not even get paid advertisements in any of the major fundamental papers. (You can always tell "whom" the incumbent is and "who" is desperately trying to get elected; the incumbent does not need to debate.) Now, missionaries, colleges, and other seeking support from your church will pretend and imitate KJB Bible Believers and lie to you. How can you be upset at such imitators and angrier men and their antics or retaliate or render evil for evil, when they are doing you such a service by making your King James Only position more credible? Their unwitting display (like the seven sons of Sceva - Acts 19:13, 14) of transparent imitations of real Bible apologetics and polemics has turned to the Bible believer's advantage. It would even make John R. Rice turn over in his grave, to witness the anger, abusive language, spite, and malevolence of his intemperate descendants. Angry men!

-- by Herb Evans